This College Student’s Online Fundraiser Got a Bit out of Control

When Washington State University sophomore Danni Messina decided to start a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital she had no idea what would happen next. The college student took to Twitter, tweeting what quickly became a viral campaign to raise money for St. Jude and the families who use their services. And here’s what happened!

this time of year is about giving – this year, I am giving back to St. Jude & the families who are supported by their amazing services

After talking to a friend who was visiting their sick grandmother over Thanksgiving, Messina decided that she needed to do some do-gooding. That’s when the college student tweeted, “this time of year is about giving – this year, I am giving back to St. Jude & the families who are supported by their amazing services.”

Messina didn’t just offer to donate to the research hospital. Instead, she challenged her followers to favorite and retweet her original tweet. For each favorite Messina vowed to give $.25 to St. Jude. And for each retweet, she said she’d give $.50.

With under 2,000 followers at the time, Messina may not have thought that she’d get an absolutely overwhelming response. But she did. Obviously, a college student isn’t exactly in the position to donate large sums of money. At least, not most college students.

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The grand total of Messina’s now-viral tweet topped $200,000! Of course, this wasn’t a check that the college sophomore could write. Messina did donate $1,000 of her own money, as well as starting a GoFundMe campaign for St. Jude. As of now, the campaign has fundraised more than $58,100.

What charity are you donating to this holiday season? Tell us in the comments below.

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